At UFC 297, the organization’s first Pay-Per-View of 2024, Alexander Volkanovski will put his featherweight title on the line versus the undefeated Ilia Topuria.
The event is scheduled to take place on January 20th at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, and will serve as Volkanovski’s sixth time defending his 145-pound title since claiming it over Max Holloway in 2019.
🚨| Ilia Topuria has said on Spanish TV show @El_Hormiguero that there are still a few details to iron out but he expects to fight Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title at #UFC297 on January 20th in Toronto, Canada.#UFC297 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/pglEg6C2LH
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) October 9, 2023
Australia’s Volkanovski (26-2) is most recently coming off a victory over former interim champion Yair Rodriguez, who he stopped with strikes in the third round of their July contest. Earlier in 2023, he suffered his second career loss when he moved up in weight to challenge Islam Makhachev for the 155-pound belt. While he still has intentions of rematching the Makhachev, it seems he has some work to do at 145–pounds, the weight class in which he is the current king.
Topuria (14-0) has performed as an absolute powerhouse since bursting into the UFC in 2020. He has notable wins over Ryan Hall, Bryce Mitchell, and most recently Josh Emmett. Through all six of his UFC victories, Topuria has shown very little weakness, similarly to Volkanovski’s featherweight streak, adding another reason that this a very interesting matchup.
Can't wait for this fight….@Topuriailia × @alexvolkanovski#AlexanderVolkanovski #IliaTopuria pic.twitter.com/fZv2ve00EL
— FirstSportz MMA (@FightsCombat) October 1, 2023
UFC 297 is already shaping up to be an excellent way to begin the new year. In addition to the featherweight championship main event, other confirmed bouts include Arnold Allen vs. Movsar Evloev and Brad Katona vs. Garrett Armfield.